Professor David Logan's Posts

One of the highlights of fall semesters at RWU Law is the annual visit of the Rhode Island Supreme Court. The Court comes to campus to preside over the final round of our flagship internal Moot Court Competition, named after a deeply respected member of our faculty, the late Esther Clark. The case involved a sweeping youth curfew in a hypothetical town, which was challenged on the grounds that it violated both substantive due process (the right to travel) and the equal protection clause (unduly burdening a suspect class—minors).
The finalists were 2Ls Amy Broderick and John Meara...

Our fledgling Immigration Law Clinic has hit the ground running, winning the freedom of a 27-year old Liberian college student who suffered the horrors of the Liberian civil wars, who came to the U.S. as a refugee, then became a permanent resident. The Department of Homeland Security sought to deport him because of two offenses in RI for which he received no jail time (a receipt of stolen property and assault). He had spent 10 months in jail before the RWUSOL Immigration Clinic got involved in his case.
3Ls Jessica Grimes and Ashley Ham Pong represented the client in his...

The results from the July bar exam in our home state have come in, and the news is very good. RWU grads beat the pass rate of all takers (RWU grads:83%; all takers:82%) and tied the rate for first-time takers (85%). Especially impressive is the rate racked up by the folks who graduated in May: 87%!
This success is not accidental: our strong student body gets a rigorous education in a personalized setting, so they are well-prepared for the challenges of both the bar exam and practice.

The School of Law recently hosted an important symposium on the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people in Rhode Island. The program, "A Gay and Lesbian User Guide to Rhode Island", focused on six key areas facing LGBT citizens - estate planning, marriage, healthcare navigation, eldercare and Medicaid law, anti-discrimination...
The Symposium was an invaluable experience for me both professionally and personally. The Formation of Families panel was priceless. For the past three years, my wife and I have tried to have a baby. When trying to create a family, there are so many...

From time-to-time I highlight employers that hire a significant number of our graduates including past blogs on Adler, Pollock & Sheehan and Shectman, Halperin & Savage.
We are especially proud of the relationship we have built with American Power Conversion (APC), a division of a French conglomerate, Schneider Electric, which has 114,000 employees and $23 billion in revenues last year. APC is a global leader in computer network infrastructure solutions, protecting electronic, network, communications and industrial equipment of all sizes. The Vice President and General...

We are extremely proud of the rich array of public interest programs offered at RWU, and the fact that our program is ranked #2 in New England by National Jurist magazine . I am delighted to announce a major gift that will ensure the future of one of our important initiatives, our unique Pro Bono Collaborative.
Read on...
And now this from today’s Providence Journal.

Roger Williams Law recently hosted the Annual Meeting of the American Society of Comparative Law, bringing to campus top scholars and teachers of Comp Law. In the recent past, the conference was held at Cornell, Cal-Hastings, Tulane, Cal-Davis, Hawaii, and Michigan, and it was brought to RWU because of the good works of two of my RWU colleagues who specialize in Comp Law, Prof. Ed Eberle and Prof. Louise Ellen Teitz. (Ed’s specialty is Comparative Constitutional Law and Louise Ellen focuses on Comparative Civil Procedure.)
The theme for the conference was “Methodological...

The 2009 version of the annual throw-down between representatives of all 3 classes and the faculty was a nail biter. It was a raucous crowd of well north of 150, each class with its own color and t-shirts adding to the high energy.
Representing the defending champs class of 2010 were Matt Shechtman, Jackson Parmenter, Rebecca Barban, Paul Grocki, Arthur DeFelice, and Stephanie Koopman. For the 2Ls: Ed Stravato, Drew Redman, Jenn Spavins, Marykate Geary, Jenna Hashway, and Clay Arnett. For the rookies (1Ls): Lawrence Almango, Kristin Fitzharris, Eden Sears, Timothy Grimes, John...

Last week, the School of Law had its Heritage Pride Celebration. Here is a recap from Lydia Hanhardt, our Director of Diversity and Outreach:
Thursday, October 8 was not an ordinary night at the law school. When I walked down to the lower level of the building I could feel the activity and energy in the room. The Multicultural Law Students Association (MCLSA) was hosting its third annual Heritage Pride Celebration. I remember the first celebration two years ago; there were about 30 students and staff members all wearing our “MCLSA Celebrates _(fill in your)_ Culture” t...

The new academic year brings with it a chance for students and faculty to hear from experts on the most pressing issues of the day, and fall 2009 is no exception.
Professor Michael Gerhardt offered “An Insider’s View on the Sotomayor Confirmation.” Mike was my colleague at Wake Forest and is now the Ashe Professor of Constitutional Law and Director of the Center for Law and Government at the University of North Carolina School of Law. He served as Special Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee for the Senate’s consideration of President Obama’s nomination Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the...